Rail-anchor.



P. G. REGAN.

RAIL ANCHOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY4. 1914v 1,124,171,, Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

TTNTTEI) STATES PATENT ()FFIOE.

PHILIP C. REGAN, OF WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNQR OF ONE-FOURTH TO JOHN S. WHYTE, ONE-FOURTH TO IRA J. BRADSHAW, AND ONE-FOURTH TO DAVID ADAMS,

ALL OF WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS.

RAIL-ANCHOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

Application filed May 4, 1914. Serial No. 836,340.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP Cf REGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waukegan, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Anchors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail anchors, or rail anti creepers, and is designed and adapted to prevent the longitudinal creeping of railroad rails and the like in service.

One of the principal objects of my invention is the provision of a rail anchor which will tightly clamp the rail base and by bearing against the tie prevent creeping of the rail and which will at the same time permit contraction of the rail without becoming loosened and without any reduction of its efliciency.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be positioned without auxiliary fastenings to the tie and which will form a more tenacious engagement between the tie and rail as the tendency to creep and the forces creating a tendency to creep increase.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character described which while fulfilling these and other requirements will consist of few parts of simple and relatively light construction, capable of being cheaply constructed and readily assembled.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof.

On the drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view showing a rail anchor embodying my invention operatively positioned; Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective of the clamping member and spring forming a portion of the anchor, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the wedge.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown it embodied in a rail anchor generally designated at 5 in Fig. l and operatively engaged with the base flanges 6 of a rail 7. The anchor embraces these flanges and bears againstan ordinary. .wooden railway tie .8, upon which the rail. is

secured inany well-known or preferred manner as by the spikes 9.

The anchor shown on the drawing comprises, essentially'a clamping member 11; a wedge member 12 and a spring 13, each of which will be hereinafter described in detail.

The clamping member in the present embodiment consists of a body portion 14 having a fiatrupper face upon which the lower surface 15 of the rail 7 rests. At one end the body portion is provided with an upwardly extending overturned lip 16 which with the upper surface of the body portion forms a groove in which one of the flanges 6 of the rail extends. At the other end a similar upwardly extending and turned over lip 17 is provided; the lip :17 however providing a wider and deeper groove than that formed by the lip 16. The other flange 6 extends partly into the groove formed by the lip 17 and is engaged and held in place by the wedge 12 which in the present instance is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending surfaces adapted to engage the edge 18 and top surface 19 of the flange 6 and the under surface 21 and inner surface 22 of the lip 17 and to engage also the upper surface of the body portion 14. The wedge is given a long taper so that when it is driven in place it wedges in, every direction transversely. It may if desired be provided upon the faces engaging the flange 6 of the rail with corrugations or serrations 23 to increase the frictional engagement produced when the wedge is driven home.

Extending forwardly in the direction of the tie and at one side of the center of the clamping member and rail is an abutment 24 integral with the clamping member. This abutment engages the tie when the rail is positioned near a side of the rail and prevents creeping of the rail by engagement with the tie. As the rail tends to creep the abutment being off center tends to twist the clamping member on the base of the rail, moving the end of the clamping member provided with the lip16 toward the left viewing Fig. 1, and the end providedwith the lip 17 toward the. right viewing this figure. Thus the clamping member binds upon the rail and a tighter engagement between it and the rail is produced as the tendency to creep increases.

ing member is disposed at a slight angle with respect to the tie, and the twisting tendency given it by the abutment under creeping of the rail tends to increase this angle. In order that the clamping member may not be loosened from the rail under contraction of the latter the leaf spring 13 is provided. This spring is secured at one end in three downwardly extending and appropriately arranged lugs or fingers 25,

I preferably integral with the clamping-member. In the present instance these lugs or fingers are arranged in staggered relation and are upturned at their ends to. engage the lower edge of this end of the spring. The lugs or fingers 25 are disposed adjacent the end of the clamping member remote from abutment 2a and the free end 26 of the spring extends over and in front of the abutment as seen in Figs. 1 and 3. The lugs or fingers 25 serve to hold the spring in place before and after the clamping member is positioned, the end 26 of 'the spring taking the position shown in full line in Fig. 8 before the clamping member is positioned and being depressed against the abutment as shown in dotted lines in this figure when the anchor is in service. In order that a full-faced contact may be produced between the abutment and the tie the abutment is recessed at 27 to a depth 1 equal to the thickness of the leaf forming the spring so that a firm and unyielding pressure may be exerted by the abutment upon the tie. In order that the spring may not be flattened too abruptly the abutment is rounded at 28 at the edge over which the spring must be bent, as seen in Fig. 1.

It will be apparent that an anchor embodying my invention consists of few parts of economic, and light construction which may be readily assembled and installed.

In service, the wedge and spring act together when contraction of the rail tends to move the anchor from the, tie, for at such times the spring tends to move the clamping member about the rail in the same direction that the creeping of the rail tends to move it, the wedge helping to resist this movement and to maintain the clamping member in fixed position upon the tie. Any jarring of the anchor while the rail is contracted, serving to carry the wedge into tighter engagement with the clamping member. The wedge serves the additional I purpose of rendering the anchor adaptable to rails having bases of different widths, it only being necessary to manufacture a clamping member of standard dimensions large enough to accommodate a rail having a maximum width'and to provide wedges I of difi'erent dimensions to adapt this clamping member to rails having'bases of'different dimensions.

1n posltloning the -anchor one flange of the rail is first engaged in the groove provided by the lip 17 and the clamping member moved up against the lower surface 15 of the rail base, the lip 17 being spaced from the lip 16 a suliicient distance to permit. this to be accomplished. The whole anchor is then moved toward the tie until the spring presses against the abutment and the abutment against the tie. A wedge of appropriate size is then driven into place beneath the lip 17 to bind the anchor to the base of the rail. The angular relation between the clamping member and rail previously described is attained by tapping the end of the clamping member provided with the lip 16 after the abutment has engaged the side of the tie. As the anchor ismoved toward the tie the spring is forced into the recess in the abutment. f

It will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form,- construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit. and scope of the invention or sacrificing any ofits material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A rail anchor comprising a member adapted to engage the base of a rail and carrying an abutment, and yielding means adapted to be interposed between saidabutment and a side of a tie. I

' 2. A rail anchor comprising a member adapted to engage the base of a rail and carrying an abutment, and yielding means carried by said member in position to be interposed between said member and the side of a tie.

3. A. rail anchor comprising, a member adaptedto engage the base of a rail and carrying an abutment, and a yielding member adapted to engage the side of a tie, said abutment being positioned to transmit a rigid unyielding pressure on the tie when the rail is in normal condition and said yielding member being positioned to exert a yielding pressure on said tie when the rail I is in contracted condition. I

4. A rail anchor comprising a clamping member adapted to engage the base of a rail and carrying an abutment and a leaf spring secured beneath .said clamping memher and extending between said abutment and a side of a tie. I

5. A rail anchor comprising a clamping member adapted to engage the base of a rail and carrying an abutment, and a leaf spring secured beneath said clamping member and extending in front of said abutment, said abutment being recessed opposite said spring to provide a full-faced rigid engagement withatie. I I I l 6. rail anchor I [comprising a clamping member adapted to engage one flange of the tending portion opposite the other flange, a Wedge adapted to be inserted between the other flange and said portion, and yielding means for holding said Wedge, clamping member and rail in fixed relation When said anchor is moved from the tie by 'contraction of the rail.

7. A rail anchor comprising a member adapted to engage the base of a rail and provided With a yielding abutment and a rigid 10 abutment, both adapted to engage the side of a tie.

PHILIP C. REGAN. Witnesses:

JOHN S. WHYTE, DAVID ADAMS.

copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C." 

